friend asked if i wanted to grab dinner and i texted back “sure.” with a period and apparently that was the digital equivalent of declaring war.
got three follow up texts asking if i was mad about something and then a phone call where she was like you seemed really cold in your text and i had to explain that no im not upset.
turns out ending texts with periods makes you sound angry or passive aggressive which is insane because periods are literally how sentences are supposed to end. been doing it wrong my whole life apparently. like using correct grammar is now considered hostile communication and everyone else got the memo except me. when did punctuation become emotional warfare.
tried to explain but she was like see youre being defensive now and im like no im being confused about when my writing style became a personality disorder. this is why english teachers are probably having breakdowns, they spent years teaching us periods go at the end of sentences and now were supposed to abandon that because it hurts peoples feelings.
the really messed up part is now im overthinking every text. do i sound mad if i use a comma. is an exclamation point too enthusiastic. should i just communicate entirely in emojis like some kind of digital caveman. spent ten minutes crafting a response about lunch plans yesterday because apparently “sounds good.” is aggressive but “sounds good” without punctuation makes me look like i failed fourth grade.
honestly considering going back to phone calls where at least people can hear the tone in my voice instead of analyzing my punctuation choices like theyre decoding ancient hieroglyphics.